The background: We like Bim, a new duo from London who make soft electronic pop songs, but met at a hard rock gig in Bristol. And we like the way they operate. Unsigned, they disseminate their music in a modern way, even if it's not exactly seminal. Quite modern, yes, in a 1990s St Etienne/Cardigans way. You can hear their synthy lullabies on their website, where they'll be putting them up to listen to for free, each one a few days apart – with only the occasional posh dulcet voiceover from singer Rebecca Rosier doing her impression of Felicity Kendal flogging breakfast gloop – in the build-up to the "release" of their debut album, which will be sold as a download at the end of the month.

Rosier (22) and Tim Davis (24) are an entirely self-contained unit, having written, recorded and produced the album themselves in Davis's flat in Holloway, and they're even promoting it on their own, having "used up all our savings", although don't expect to see it advertised on Oxford Street billboards. The only outside help they received was with the mastering, which was handled at the Exchange studio by Mike Marsh, who did Massive Attack's Protection. Bim purvey a breezy version of the latter's torpid, torrid trip-hop – it's less massive, and it doesn't attack, it soothes while Rosier's voice sighs and whispers, like Dido and Sarah Cracknell's sweetly sibilant kid sister.

They also do the videos themselves, and have achieved some success with the one they did for their track Stay in My Memory, which reached No 6 in the iTunes electro charts even though we had no idea there was an iTunes electro chart, and received over 650,000 hits on YouTube. It's an animated pop-up picture book affair, quite lovely and poignant, with shades of The Snowman. Fans have also posted homemade videos online setting Bim songs to scenes variously from Dr Who spin-off Torchwood and teen vamp-fest Twilight. They're always sad scenes, because Bim songs are always sad. We're not sure what they're sad about, but their gentle piano reveries underpinned by sturdy computer beats tend to suit images of couples parting, if not vampires feasting on flesh. They do go a bit more feral onstage, what with their additional guitar, bass and drums, while Rosier, who's a trained contemporary dancer, moves with the feline grace of a panther. She doesn't really, she just stands there, but if she ever decided to, we'd be there, cheering her on, just as long as she leaves our necks alone.

The buzz: "The harmonies are perfect, the choruses are mesmerising and the voice ... well, let's just say that Rebecca could probably make Anarchy in the UK sound like the most beautiful lullaby you've ever heard" – Ark Light.

The truth: Nonsense. Pretty Vacant, maybe, but not Anarchy.

Most likely to: Grow their audience when this article appears.

Least likely to: Grow fangs.

What to buy: Bim's debut album, Scatterheart, can be heard on their website (link below), and there are other tracks of theirs on Spotify.